A new Disney documentary included behind-the-scenes footage of Anthony Mackie's latest performance as Captain America.
Until now, the MCU has seen little of Sam Wilson since he officially assumed the mantle of Captain America in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
But even though he's been absent from the big screen and Disney+, that's not to say he hasn't been wielding the shield.
Disney Highlights Anthony Mackie's Latest Captain America Role
National Geographic's Making the Wish: Disney's Newest Cruise Ship, which was released February 17 on Disney+, included a segment showing Anthony Mackie filming his latest portrayal of Captain America.
Several Marvel stars, including Anthony Mackie, reprised their MCU roles for Avengers: Quantum Encounter, a cinematic Marvel dinner show offered at The Worlds of Marvel restaurant aboard Disney Cruise Line's Disney Wish.
In the show, Cap arrives on the Disney Wish cruise ship to help Ant-Man, the Wasp, Captain Marvel, and Ms. Marvel stop Ultron's pursuit of brand-new Pym Tech known as Quantum Cores.
In a past interview, Disney Imagineer Danny Handke explained to The Direct that "Anthony [Mackie] was shot in Los Angeles" while other Marvel actors were filmed at other locations around the globe:
“We shot Paul and Evangeline as they were gearing up production for 'Quantumania' and then Anthony was shot in Los Angeles. He was out here for the Avengers campus opening and then he stayed an extra day to come play with and film with us. So we got Anthony. So, yeah, everyone was shot separately and then we just had to bring them all together.”
In the documentary, Mackie is shown wearing his full practical Captain America suit as he films various moments of the show.
Other shots show him in action as he wields the iconic Captain America shield.
Bethany Jones, writer and producer of Making the Disney Wish, told The Direct that their team spent "three days filming the behind-the-scenes of the 'Avengers: Quantum Encounter' show..." but only "one day with Captain America:"
"In total, we spent three days filming the behind-the-scenes of the 'Avengers: Quantum Encounter' show for the Worlds of Marvel restaurant. One day with Captain America and two days to film some stunt sequences and the cameo appearance by the seagull—who appears larger than life in the final dinner movie. The other Marvel actors were filmed at a different time."
Given Marvel Studios' reputation for secrecy - something Mackie himself has discussed - it's rare to see a Marvel actor performing on-set as their MCU character.
And, while Marvel's own documentaries, such as Marvel Studios: Assembled, have captured similar moments before, Making the Disney Wish is one of the first non-Marvel productions to do so.
According to Chad Cohen, the director, writer, and producer of Making the Disney Wish, filming the actor's cameo was one of the first scenes his team shot and required "a lot of permissions:"
"The behind-the-scenes shoot with Anthony Mackie for The Worlds of Marvel Restaurant was happening in a couple of weeks of us starting, so we didn't really know what it was or how it would it come together. So cool. You can imagine, like you can't just show up with your camera and film all that. There's a lot of permissions and things you need to get and people to sign off."
In addition to Mackie in costume and performing in front of a green screen, the documentary goes a step further in revealing the show's animatics of Cap as he faces off against Ultron bots on the ship's upper decks.
While it's unlikely that Anthony Mackie's hero will be fighting on a cruise ship in 2024's Captain America: New World Order, these sequences do serve as a preview for what's to come.
Why Cap Can Cameo All Day
Avengers: Quantum Encounter might be Anthony Mackie's most recent Cap performance, but it's not his only appearance.
In addition to appearing in a Marvel-themed Hyundai ad, he also appeared in costume to open Avengers Campus at the Disneyland Resort.
Even though his theme park and cruise line gigs contribute to Disney's own Multiverse storyline and not the MCU, these cameos are helpful in cementing his character's new role in the fans' minds until he makes his on-screen return.
And, as a result, this will allow Captain America 4 to jump right into its narrative with Sam Wilson fully established as the new Star Spangled Man.
Captain America: New World Order arrives in theaters on May 3, 2024.
